Night at the Mighties
by Igniting Writing
Summary: Everyone knows the Mighties - the number one award ceremony for heroes, celebrating all their achievements over the past year. For Ochaco, it's also an experience that she'll treasure with Deku, to celebrate their relationship. Written for IzuOcha Week 2018, Bonus Day, on the theme of 'Warm Snuggles'.


"Is… Is that a limo?! Ochaco, why didn't you tell us we were being picked up by a limo?!"

Hearing her dad's incredulous shout from the hallway, Ochaco hurriedly made the last finishing touches to her mascara and looked around her room, trying to find her handbag. Spotting it on top of the wardrobe, she called out, "Just a minute!" and tried to simultaneously balance on tiptoe to reach it and not fall over in the high heels she was wearing. Grabbing it, she quickly patted it to reassure herself that she hadn't forgotten anything important – and then she paused in momentary horror. Had she packed the tickets?!

Panicking she squatted down and rifled through her handbag, muttering under her breath – a habit her parents teasingly insisted that she'd picked up from her boyfriend, no matter how many times she tried to convince them otherwise. "Keys, phone, lip balm… No, no, no, where are they?"

For a heartstopping moment she thought she'd lost them, but as she dug right the way to the bottom she finally felt the familiar feel of three bits of card and let out a huge sigh of relief. Taking care not to tear them, she gently pulled the tickets out and re-read the text for what had to be the thousandth time since they came through in the post three weeks ago. Printed in fancy gold letters on a black background, it read, _'In light of her heroic achievements over the past year, Ms Ochaco Uraraka, along with no more than two guests of her choosing, is cordially invited to attend the 41st National Hero Awards Ceremony.'_

Placing them back in her handbag – in a separate compartment this time, to make sure she didn't lose them again – Ochaco let the words circle through her head, a giddy smile spreading across her face. The National Hero Awards Ceremony may have been its official title, but everyone knew them by their unofficial nickname, 'The Mighties'. It was the biggest awards ceremony in the country, covered by just about every news station and social media outlet worldwide for days in advance as they speculated who would win the various categories. Being invited to attend was surreal, like something out of a dream. The Mighties were where the heroes at the top of the ladder received recognition, the likes of Red Riot, Endeavour, and of course All Might. She remembered watching it every year on the old, fuzzy TV her parents owned – every now and then the reception would fail and her dad would have to fiddle with the wonky aerial to restore the signal. And now she was going to be there in person!

Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock on her bedroom door and her mother poked her head in. "Honey, have you finished getting ready? We don't want to make the driver late and I think your dad's gettin' antsy."

"Ah, yeah, sorry," she replied, flustered. "I thought I'd lost the tickets for a second and it took longer than I thought to get dressed. Do I… Do I look ok?" She patted down her burgundy dress, suddenly feeling unsure of herself – it was probably the single most expensive thing she'd ever bought, after picking it up whilst out on a shopping trip with Tsuyu, Mina and the other girls last week to prepare for tonight. At the time she'd fallen in love with its frilled sleeves and intricate stitching across the hemline, but now she was having second thoughts. Compared to her mother's outfit, an old but simple navy blue cocktail dress – which Ochaco was fairly certain was the only formal dress her mother owned – hers felt over the top and extravagant.

Her mother walked over to her and placed a hand on her shoulder, giving her a warm smile. "You look lovely. And I'm sure Midoriya will think so too."

Ochaco went pink at the praise. "Thanks, momma," she whispered, suddenly feeling shy. It reminded her of being a little girl again, dressed up in her school uniform for the first time.

"You don't need to thank me, silly," her mother hushed her. "You're beautiful, on the inside and out. You're the one that made your dreams come true, helping people, making the world a better place, and you're gonna win every award out there tonight."

Heart warmed by her mother's words, Ochaco gave her hand a squeeze. "I don't think winning every award is even possible. Some are for support items and that sorta thing. I doubt I'll even win anything – I'm still just an inexperienced sidekick and I'll be up against the best heroes in the country."

Her mother dismissed her reasoning with a wave of her hand. "Well, they'd better give you at least one or they're gonna have two angry parents on their hands!"

Laughing together, mother and daughter stepped out into the hallway, where Ochaco's dad was waiting, wearing a slightly moth-eaten suit and tie. "Ah, there you are! I was startin' to think you'd gotten locked in the bathroom or somethin'!"

Ochaco grinned, rolling her eyes at his playful teasing. "Says the man that spent half an hour posing in front of the mirror earlier."

Her dad gasped and clutched his heart, shooting a wounded look at his wife. "You weren't supposed to tell her that!"

Ochaco's mother just smiled innocently. "I have no idea what you're talking about, dear."

Her dad shook his head, dropping Ochaco a wink. "Well, I've gotta try and find the best angle for the cameras tonight – not everyone can pull off style as easily as you two lovely ladies." He put an arm around Ochaco's mother, who playfully batted his hand away, and he escorted them out into the street, his exuberance making him almost bounce with every step.

It was easy to see why – waiting outside was a sleek silver limousine, polished and gleaming, with a chauffeur in a spotless uniform standing at attention by the side of the passenger door. Her mother mumbled a faint, "Oh my," looking shell-shocked at the sheer grandeur on display, and Ochaco couldn't help but echo her sentiments. The windows were all tinted black for privacy and the grill on the front of the vehicle was almost as tall as she was. This was a luxury beyond anything she'd expected – the invitation had only mentioned that they would be picked up and she'd just assumed it would be an ordinary taxi, not something that looked like it was owned by royalty.

Her dad had no such concerns, bounding over to the car with an ear to ear grin on his face and energetically shaking the chauffer's hand. "You our driver for the night?"

The chauffeur remained completely po-faced, arching a single eyebrow. "Indeed, sir," he answered, in a voice that toed the line between snootiness and deference. "Would sir care for a glass of champagne for the trip? There is a chilled bottle of our finest vintage provided in the mini-bar."

"This wagon has a mini-bar?" Ochaco's dad repeated, looking like Christmas had come early. "We are gonna get along like a house on fire!"

The chauffer sniffed. "I'm sure, sir. Right this way."

With a sweeping hand movement he directed them through the open car door and Ochaco entered gingerly, jaw dropping at the lavish furnishings – all well as the mini bar she spotted a curved plasma screen TV that took up an entire wall, a row of massage chairs and even a small jacuzzi. She half suspected that the limo driver must have had some sort of space manipulation quirk to make all of this fit on the inside.

As the limo pulled off, its engine barely making a murmur, her dad poured them each a flute of champagne. "Talk about the lap of luxury, huh?" he said, shaking his head in disbelief. "This is somethin' else!"

Her mother nodded fervently, accepting her glass. "It all seems so fancy; I hardly know where to look."

Ochaco stayed quiet, not wanting to put her thoughts into words. The sheer wealth had thrown her off balance. Was this what the event tonight was going to be like? All glitz and glamour? Despite the riches on display it all felt somehow cheap and tacky, as if she hadn't really earned it and it was going to be snatched away at any moment.

As her dad rooted appreciatively through the rest of the contents of the mini-bar and her mother played around with the settings on the massage chair, Ochaco occupied herself by taking a cautious sip of her own champagne. She cringed a little at the taste – she'd never been much of a drinker and on the rare times she'd tried alcohol it had only ever been in small doses – and blinked as the bubbles seemed to go directly to her brain.

Feeling a little lightheaded she opened the window a crack to let the cool breeze play on her face and gasped as she saw the venue in the distance. It was hard to miss – breathtakingly modern, dome-shaped and made entirely out of glass panels, lit up to form the Mighties' logo. From the outside there were coloured spotlights swaying from side to side, lighting up the building and the dark sky in a kaleidoscope of dancing hues. She swallowed anxiously and took another swig from her champagne glass to try and quell her nerves.

The rest of the journey seemed to take an age – and not just because of the butterflies in her stomach. They hit a solid wall of traffic a few blocks before the venue, which slowed them to an absolute crawl. She was starting to worry whether they'd be late before they finally reached their destination, the limo pulling up to the steps of the venue and the chauffeur opening the passenger door for them.

Taking a deep breath to steady herself, she moved toward the door but was stopped as her father placed his hand gently over hers. "Is everything ok, sweetie? You've been awfully quiet."

Ochaco met her dad's concerned gaze. "I'm ok. Just nervous is all. I don't really feel like I belong here – it's a bit intimidating." She managed a laugh and tried to plaster on a smile.

Her dad exchanged a quick troubled glance with his wife and looked back to his daughter. "Listen… I can tell you're feeling uncomfortable, so you know you didn't have to invite us, right hun?"

Ochaco scrunched up her face, confused. "What? No! Of course I invited you guys, you're my parents!"

Her dad smiled. "That's kind of you to say. But, well… we just don't wanna embarrass you on your big night. This isn't exactly what we're used to. And I know my suit has seen better days."

Ochaco opened her mouth, about to protest, but her mother raised her hand to cut her off. "All we're saying is that we'd completely understand if you'd rather go on your own, that's all."

"Don't say that!" Ochaco objected fiercely, fists clenched. "Having you both there is… It's important to me! I want you guys to be there 'cos you were there for me, right from the start. The two of you were the whole reason I became a hero!"

She momentarily had to check she hadn't activated her quirk by accident – the way her parents beamed at her made her feel like she was floating. Her dad pulled her into a one armed hug, his voice gruff with emotion. "Thatta girl. So proud. We're both so proud of all you've done, ya know that?"

Her mother joining in on the hug, Ochaco swallowed back the lump in her throat. "There's… There's no-one I'd rather have supporting me," she murmured, with all the conviction she could muster. Her dad pulled her in a little closer and for a moment Ochaco felt as safe and comforted as she could ever remember. However nervous or out of her depth she felt, she could _always_ rely on her parents.

As they released each other, Ochaco's mother smiled mischievously. "That's sweet of you, but I'm sure that's at least _one_ other person you'd like supporting you tonight, hmm?"

Ochaco went bright pink at her mother's knowing glance and her dad let out an uproarious laugh. "Oh yeah, Midoriya's gonna be here too, right? I'm lookin' forward to saying hi to our favourite future son-in-law!"

"Daaaad!" she whispered, making frantic shushing gestures. "Keep it down! I don't wanna start another media circus! The first one was bad enough!"

She wasn't exaggerating. When the press had first discovered that she and Deku had been dating neither of them had even been well known outside of hero circles, but there had still been a week's worth of intrusive questions and trashy stories in the celebrity magazines. Ochaco suspected it had been largely because there were so few hero relationships for them to latch onto, but now that the two of them were starting to get more recognition – Deku in particular was soaring through the rankings at a speed not seen since All Might's debut – their relationship seemed to constantly be under the microscope. Any time Deku so much as breathed in the direction of another woman there was some article about whether or not he was having some sort of illicit affair. The first time it had happened he had practically begged her for forgiveness, even though she'd reassured him that he'd not done anything wrong, but all the same she couldn't deny that it made her feel a small stab of insecurity in her gut. Why couldn't the reporters just let the two of them be happy together, without all the relentless speculation?

The worst part was how it seemed to intrude even on her hero work. Last month she'd been assigned her first ever solo mission, tasked by Ryukyu's agency with dealing with the damage caused by a recent storm, and had been recognised in the national news for the first time after saving a schoolbus caught in a landslide triggered by the rain. It had taken hours of hard work to use her quirk to shift the earth without burying the bus and she'd been covered head to toe in mud by the time she was done, but when the vehicle had been dislodged enough for the children to escape it had been one of the proudest moments in her life.

The reporters on the scene, however, had barely focused on how she'd saved over a dozen schoolkids. Instead they'd asked a series of pointed questions about whether some long lens photos of her meeting Iida for coffee one morning meant that she was seeing him behind Deku's back. It had taken all her self-control to stay polite and smiling, insisting that they were just good friends, when inwardly she had wanted to yell at them to mind their own business.

Seeing her mood shift, her dad scowled. "It's not right. Bunch of damn vultures, snooping around. Can't they just be grateful for all the hard work you put in?"

Her mother shrugged helplessly and Ochaco conjured up a smile, trying to lighten the mood. "Hey, come on now, the Mighties are supposed to be a celebration. Let's just go out and have a fun night, ok?"

Placated, her parents both nodded their agreement and together the three of them stepped out of the limo. Leading to the building was a velvet red carpet, trailing up an ornate marble staircase into the building itself. It was flanked on one side by a row of news reporters and journalists, complete with sound technicians, camera crews and more, and as Ochaco and her parents walked across the red carpet they were greeted with a barrage of flashing cameras, though it died down fairly quickly when the photographers realised that she wasn't one of the more famous heroes and another limousine pulled up at the entrance.

Turning her head to the other side, she saw that it was dominated by a group of delirious fans, many of them holding up signs to support their favourite hero – she couldn't help but smile when she saw that a small but vocal group were backing Deku and much to her unexpected delight there was even one couple with an Uravity sign, loudly shouting her name.

She darted over, beaming – being a sidekick, she hardly ever saw anyone publically supporting her. "Hi, thanks very much for coming out tonight!"

The woman holding the sign looked like she was about to cry. "Uravity, thank you, thank you so much! My daughter was on that bus you saved – thanks to you she's still alive!"

Her husband nodded vigorously and handed her his phone, showing a picture of a girl of about six or seven years old, her leg in a cast. "It would mean the world if we could send our daughter a photo to show we've met you. She's just come out of hospital and all she talks about is the hero who saved her."

A little bemused by the attention – she'd never expected to have any fans before, much less ones that idolised her – she studied the picture and her heart melted at the innocent girl's smile. "Aww, she's so sweet! Of course I'll be in a photo! What's her name?"

"She's called Akane," the woman answered, dabbing at her eyes. "Are you sure it's not a bother? I don't want to take up any more of your time."

"It's no problem," Ochaco assured her. "In fact, I'll do you one better." Reaching into her handbag, she pulled out a marker pen and squiggled a lopsided 'Get well soon, Akane! Best wishes from Uravity' on the sign, embarrassed but elated all the same, and the man fumbled with his phone, snapping a quick selfie.

The couple practically bombarded her with thank yous and she gave them one last smile before returning to her parents, who had waited for her. As she animatedly relayed the story to them, with several interruptions and questions, they reached the entrance and Ochaco flashed her tickets to a heavily tattooed bouncer, who ushered them through wordlessly.

Stepping through the doorway, her dad let out a low whistle of awe. Aside from a small cloakroom and the toilets, the inside was all a single huge room, tastefully lit by several chandeliers overhead, with dozens of circular tables gathered around an elevated stage. There were still some TV cameras present, roaming the room on tracks or positioned on platforms to get the best view of both the audience and the stage, but thankfully they were positioned mostly at the back, less intrusive than the ones outside.

As Ochaco looked to her left she noticed a well-stocked bar, with a small group of people waiting in line, and her parents both joined the queue. Ochaco was about to join them but her mother shook her head. "We'll be fine here – you go ahead and take a look around. I know you must want to see Midoriya before the presentation ceremony starts."

Ochaco turned pink. "Is that really ok?"

Her mother smiled. "Don't worry about us. See you later, ok, sweetie? And save us some good seats!"

Ochaco nodded and meandered her way into the crowd, trying to stay out of the way of the waiters and waitresses expertly flitting past the tables with platters of food and drink. Disappointingly she couldn't see any sign of Deku, but she did spot a few familiar faces – the Pussycats were grouped over by one of the tables talking to Midnight, who was wearing a purple sequined dress that was scandalously revealing, and much to her pleasure she spotted Gunhead waving at her from the far side of the room, scarfing down an entire platter of canapes with Fatgum.

Waving back at him, she felt someone tap her on her shoulder and whirled around to meet Tsuyu and the rest of the girls from her former class. "You guys! How're you doing?"

Her froggy friend pulled her into a hug. "We're all good. Your dress suits you."

Ochaco laughed at her friend's customary bluntness. "Oh, thanks. Mina deserves the credit though – she was the one that picked it out."

The pink-haired girl smirked. "Damn straight. Have I got an eye for style or what?" She did a twirl, her own garishly neon-yellow dress flaring out as she spun.

"Mina, if your dress was any brighter it would burn my retinas," Jiro deadpanned. "I wouldn't start calling yourself the fashion queen just yet. I think Yaomomo wins that department."

All eyes turned to Yaoyorozu's dress, a white lace gown that looked like it came straight from a fairy tale. Coupled with her hair, falling down her back in elegant waves, she could have easily passed for a supermodel.

Mina made a noise of frustration. "That's not fair. I was comparing myself to mere mortals, not goddesses!"

"O-Oh! Well, I wouldn't go that far," Yaoyorozu stammered, a modest blush on her face. "And I like Mina's dress too. It has…" She paused, trying to find a polite way to describe it.

"Character?" offered Hagakure, giggling at Yaoyorozu's attempted diplomacy.

"Yes, character!"

Ochaco joined in the laughter and even Mina cracked a grin. "Fine, I'll just have to accept you're all in denial that I'm the embodiment of elegance and good taste." She backed up her point by swiping a handful of brightly-coloured cocktails up from a passing waiter's tray and offering them to the group. Ochaco took a gulp, the fruity taste lingering on her tongue, and whilst the rest of the girls began discussing who they thought would win the various awards she was only half paying attention, craning to try and find a sign of green hair in amongst the crowd of people.

"Ochaco, who are you looking for?" Tsuyu's matter-of-fact voice snapped her out of her search and her face flushed red, embarrassed at being caught out.

"Why are you even asking, Tsu?" teased Mina. "We already know the answer."

Seeing Ochaco tying herself in knots as she tried to reply, Jiro rolled her eyes, taking pity on her friend. "If you're after lover boy, I saw him over by the stage earlier. Knowing him he's probably fanboying over some heroes from the other side of the country that no-one else has heard of."

Ochaco sighed fondly. "Yeah, that sounds like Deku. Thanks Jiro, I'll go find him."

Quickly swallowing the rest of her drink and suppressing a hiccup, she said her goodbyes and resumed the hunt. After a minute or so of fruitless wandering she finally struck gold – he was positioned at one of the tables by the stage like Jiro had said, sitting next to his mother, who was rubbing his shoulder soothingly. Strangely it looked like there were scattered pieces of card laid out all over the table – and stranger still, he didn't seem to be fanboying over any of the other heroes that were milling around – but as she approached she could hear his trademark muttering and her lips twitched upward into a smile at the sound of his voice.

"Should it be ' _Welcome_ , everyone'? Or 'Welcome, _everyone_ '? And how long should I pause afterwards? I guess I need to leave a gap for applause – but what if nobody claps? Or what if there's hecklers? I suppose I could –"

Walking up behind him she poked her head over his shoulder, greeting him with an affectionate grin. "This seat taken, Deku?"

He jumped at her presence and both he and his mother both twisted around in unison, Inko letting out an exclamation of delight. "Ochaco!"

Ochaco felt herself pulled into a motherly hug with the older woman, which she happily returned. Inko was an absolute treasure, always looking to help and make her feel involved in the Midoriya household – she made a point of inviting them both over to dinner regularly and whilst Izuku was a pretty good cook himself, his mother was a _force of nature_. The last time Inko had hosted them Ochaco had eaten the most delicious stir fry of her life, to the point she was so full she could hardly move, and she'd still found room for the heavenly banana bread as dessert. Inko had even insisted that she take the leftovers, despite Ochaco's weak protests that she'd already done so much.

"Oh, it's so good to see you again, it's been too long." Inko ushered her across and added in a whisper, so her son couldn't hear, "Izuku's a little stressed out right now. Can you see if you can help him calm down?"

Concerned, Ochaco studied Deku's face and noticed that he did seem more jittery than usual, chewing on his bottom lip in that way he did when he was under pressure. She nodded quickly to Inko, wondering what the problem was, and caught Deku's eye, exchanging a shy glance with him. To her relief he smiled back, nervous but adorable in a way that only Deku seemed to be capable of, and her heart fluttered at the sight.

Seeing the exchange, Inko coughed discreetly. "I'll just go get another drink. Do you want anything, Izuku?"

"Huh?" It took Deku a second or two before he realised Inko had spoken and his face went red. "Ah, n-no, I'm ok thank you."

Inko hid a smile. "In that case I'll leave you two in peace."

As his mother departed Ochaco had to fight back giggles at the flustered expression on her boyfriend's face. Regaining a fraction of his composure, Deku glanced sheepishly at her. "Hi."

She smiled widely at him, amusement sparkling in her eyes. "Hi to you too. You didn't answer my question though."

"Oh, right, of course, take a seat!" He made a belated effort to clear away some of the cards scattered across her side of the table to clear a space for her, talking agitatedly. "Sorry about all the mess. I was looking for you earlier but then I got pulled aside by one of the event organisers and they gave me all these cards and I have to learn them all in the next ten minutes and –"

"Whoa, slow down a little!" she laughed, helping him pick up the remaining cards. "What is all this? It looks like…" She paused to read some of the pieces of card and her forehead scrunched in confusion. "… A comedy routine?"

Deku ran a hand through his dishevelled hair. "Kinda. When I arrived the people in charge of the Mighties came over and told me the host they booked cancelled on them last minute, so they've got no-one to do the announcements. And going out live on TV, so it's not like they can just cancel."

"Yeah, no kidding. It must cost a fortune to book this place."

"Exactly. So they needed to find someone else to do it and they still had the original host's cue cards –"

"And you offered to do it? Wow, that's so cool!"

Deku scratched his cheek and laughed awkwardly. "Umm, it was more like they didn't give me much choice. To be honest, I'm kinda having second thoughts…" He looked up at the stage and shivered slightly.

Ochaco frowned, surprised. "But Deku, isn't this, like, a dream scenario for you? It's your chance to present the Mighties! Give out awards to all the heroes you admire!"

His eyes did brighten at that, but he still looked unsure. "It's just all so sudden. I've talked to interviewers before, but never anything like this, on stage with millions of viewers! What if I freeze up? Or what if I give the wrong person the award? Or – I don't know – I just make some stupid mistake and… let everyone else down? Most of the heroes here tonight are people I idolised as a kid. And All Might won so many Mighties that he filled an entire cabinet with them. I don't even feel like I belong here." He ducked his head down, self-conscious. "Sorry. I shouldn't have offloaded on you like that. I didn't mean to –"

"Deku, stop," she interrupted, her voice soft. He looked so unsure of himself that Ochaco wanted to wrap him in her arms and sweep all his worries away. "I _want_ you to share. And it's ok to be feel like you're outta place here." She clasped her hands on the table, looking down at them. "I kinda feel the same way. Being around all these pros, it's easy to think you're… I dunno, not worthy? Not deserving? But we've both earned the right to be here. So… don't worry too much about being a perfect host or memorising the cards. Just be yourself, ok? And I'll be cheering you on."

She flashed him a sunny smile and he returned it shakily. "Thanks, Uraraka. That helped a lot. You always make me feel like a hero."

She nudged him playfully. "Hey, just because I'm not in uniform doesn't mean Uravity's not here to save the day." Getting a genuine chuckle out of him for the first time and emboldened by the success, she looked him up and down, her cheeks going a shade rosier. Maybe it was the alcohol she'd drunk earlier, but he really did look good, the black suit jacket fitting well on his broad-shouldered frame and the green bowtie bringing out the colour of his eyes. "Umm, speaking of uniform, I like the tux."

He rubbed the back of his neck bashfully. "Thanks. The shoes are a bit tight though. I wanted to wear my usual ones, but I doubt red high-tops were on the dress code."

She stifled her laughter. "You'll never know if you don't try. What would they do, kick you out? You're the host!"

Deku smiled lopsidedly, pouring himself a glass of water from a jug on the table. "Yeah, but I don't think it would look good if the host got into a fight with the bouncer on the door."

Cracking a grin, she hummed an agreement. "I guess you're right. I'm sure Iida would say something about how _we_ _need to uphold the strict public morals of society_ _or else we shall descend_ _into chaos_." She punctuated her impression of their friend with his customary arm motions and Deku almost spat out the drink he was taking as he tried to swallow and laugh at the same time.

As he recovered he looked across to her, seemingly struggling to find the right words, and she reached across to squeeze his hand. "Hey, are you ok?"

He fiddled with his collar nervously and leant in closer to her, so that there was only an inch or two between them. "I… I should've said it earlier, but you look gorgeous."

This time it definitely wasn't the alcohol making her cheeks heat up. "O-Oh! Thanks," she managed to splutter. "I'm… uh, I'm glad you like it."

His face was almost was red as her own. "I mean, y-you're always gorgeous. Not that I notice. Erm, I mean, I _do_ notice, but not in a weird way, where it sounds like I'm staring at you all the time or –" He clamped his mouth shut before he blurted anything else out and Ochaco's blush threatened to burn a hole through her face. Somehow he always had a talent for making her flustered, even if it was unintentional.

Before he managed to embarrass the both of them any further, Ochaco looked up and noticed one of the production staff on the other side of the room waving at Deku and reluctantly she pointed him out to Deku. "I guess that's your cue."

He sighed. "Yeah, they mentioned that they needed to do some make-up and get my mic hooked up. I'll see you soon?"

Her lips twitched upwards at the hopeful, puppy-like look in his eyes. "Definitely. Good luck up there – I know you'll do great."

His scarred fingers lingered against hers briefly before they parted and almost immediately she missed the warmth, but there was no time to be idling around – she had to find her parents before the awards started. Managing to locate them just in time the three of them took their seats, on the same table as Inko and the girls from UA, just as the lights dimmed. The conversations in the room all died down quickly and a harsh spotlight shone onto the stage, revealing Deku standing behind a tall podium. There were a few mumbles of surprise from the audience at seeing him instead of the expected announcer and her parents both turned to her questioningly, but she put her finger to her lips, not wanting to miss any of what he said.

"Uh, good evening. I'm pro hero Deku, your host for tonight, and welcome, _everyone_ , to the 41st Annual Mighties!" Ochaco clapped along with the rest of the crowd, quietly willing him on, and he began explaining the way the awards worked, only the slightest quiver in his voice giving away how anxious he was. "Each award covers a different element of hero work, whether it's leading rescues, taking down villains or the all-important work that goes on behind the scenes. Three nominees have been chosen for each award, selected by our esteemed panel of retired heroes, and from those nominees a single winner will be granted the coveted trophy."

There were several oohs and aahs from the audience and as Deku transitioned into announcing the sponsors Ochaco couldn't help but be impressed by how good a speaker he was – for all his nerves he had a natural gift at engaging with people. Considering he'd been handed the cue cards less than an hour ago he was doing an amazing job.

"So, enough with the formalities – let's move onto our opening Mighty of the night. The first nominee for the Evacuating Civilians Award is… Gang Orca!"

A spotlight shone into the crowd at one of the other tables in the audience and Ochaco glimpsed a tall, muscly guy with a killer whale's head standing to give a short, respectful bow. Behind Deku she noticed that a screen had been set up to play a short video clip, showcasing the hero in action, and as Deku turned to the screen his face lit up.

"Ah, this is from six months ago when Gang Orca stopped the Tokyo freeway bridge from collapsing into the sea after that earthquake! He kept the support columns stable by piling rumble under the damaged areas, but there were still civilians on the bridge, so he was able to use his hypersonic waves to project his voice and tell anyone close to the nearby to get clear! It was a really creative use of his quirk to transmit information whilst he had his hands full making sure the bridge didn't –" Suddenly realising his rambling had an audience he ground to a halt, somehow managing to go white as a sheet and red in the face at the same time.

The killer whale themed hero snorted, amused. "Hey, don't stop on my account."

There was a smattering of laughter and Deku coughed, abashed. "R-Right. So, erm, to summarise, the clip shows how Gang Orca is one of the most adept heroes at both assessing the danger of a situation and communicating that danger clearly to a wide area, making sure the highest possible number of civilians evacuate to safety before they get caught up in the situation. He's fully earned his nomination here tonight."

It was hard to tell with his non-human features, but Gang Orca looked downright flattered. "Thanks kid. Makes a change to have someone appreciate the complexities of the job."

There was a big burst of applause and Ochaco felt a surge of triumph as Deku beamed. As he rattled off the other nominees, growing in confidence and giving a mini commentary of their video clips too, Tsuyu made a small croak of admiration. "Wow. Who knew Midoriya's hero knowledge would be so popular?"

"Yeah, he's _good_ at this," Mina agreed in a whisper. "He explains it so that anyone could follow, even the ordinary folks listening at home. It's like listening to a really nerdy sports pundit."

Inko was silently holding back her tears, sniffling occasionally as she looked as though she might burst with pride. "My Izuku, my baby boy, so grown up…"

The night flew by like a blur and after presenting a couple more awards Deku was fully in his stride, weaving his way from one nomination to another seamlessly. He was even able to build in the more emotional part of the awards – the Preventing Property Damage Award had gone to Mount Lady of all people and she'd started openly sobbing on stage at Deku's analysis of how much she'd improved over the years at reducing the destruction her size increase quirk caused. She hadn't been the only one that had cried – in another major surprise the Heroic Act of Bravery Award had gone to Tamaki Amajiki, and, seeing his stage fright, Deku had tactfully asked whether he'd like to say anything to Lemillion. That had prompted Tamaki to give a heartfelt outpouring of how much Mirio's friendship had helped him along the way and there had barely been a dry eye in the house.

During the interval she'd checked her phone to see the public perception of Deku's performance and he seemed to be getting rave reviews – Hagakure had even announced that on social media the hashtag DekuForPresident was trending. Other than Deku's hosting, the other recurring theme in the comments online was about the youth of some of the nominees – Tamaki had been exceptionally young for a Mighties winner, with only four years of experience since becoming pro, but it was almost unheard of in previous years for anyone that graduated in the last two years to be nominated. Nevertheless, Todoroki, Yaoyorozu and Bakugo had all been contenders for various categories and although none of them had won they had received some of the loudest applause. If that wasn't enough Deku had somehow broken the record for the youngest hero in history to be nominated for two categories, the Rising Star and Best Villain Takedown – he'd self-deprecatingly joked that he'd have to ask someone else to take over as host if he won, since he couldn't hand out an award to himself.

As the line of trophies on the podium got smaller and smaller, soon the ceremony was almost at an end and Deku clapped his hands together, reading from his last card. "Our final trophy tonight is a special one, the Mighty that perhaps most embodies the spirit of All Might – the Beyond the Call of Duty Award, for those that make the extra effort to save people with a smile. The nominees are… Best Jeanist, for working to keep a crew of shipwrecked sailors warm until further help arrived… Kamui Woods, for providing habitats to many forest creatures in the aftermath of a forest fire… and –" He made a choking sound and his face split into a wide, disbelieving grin. "Uravity, for singlehandedly saving a bus full of schoolchildren!"

For a second she thought she must have misheard him. Then a blindingly bright spotlight shone down on her and the reality sunk in. She scrambled to her feet, dimly aware that her parents were clutching each other and Mina had taken her phone out to record her reaction, but all she could focus on was the sound of her hammering heartbeat and Deku's face, which could have been the moon considering how far away it felt at that moment.

With unsteady hands he reached into the envelope that contained the name of the winner. The crowd had settled into a heavy, weighted silence. "The winner… is…"

Had they skipped the videos entirely, or had she just blinked and missed them? Time didn't seem to be working properly, the moment stretching out infinitely.

Finally, when she could bare it no more, he shouted out a single, fizzing word. "Uravity!"

Instantly she was buried in an embrace as her dad practically tackled her into a hug, her mother only half a second behind. The other girls around her were all cheering, Mina even thumping the table for good measure, but amidst all the chaos all she could focus on was Deku up on the stage. He wasn't even pretending to be impartial, his eyes locked on her in amazement and his face a beacon of joy.

And suddenly she was running, her dress flapping behind her. She didn't even use the small staircase up to the stage, instead activating her quirk and jumping through the air – straight into Deku's outstretched arms.

It didn't matter that her make-up was running down her face as a thousand emotions crashed over her like a tidal wave. It didn't matter what the newspapers would say the next morning. It didn't even matter that she'd forgotten to cancel her quirk and that she was still floating. All that mattered was the warmth of his embrace as she cuddled him and buried her face into his shoulder.


End file.
